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(04/23/08 4:29am)
Spring hasn’t been too kind to the IU baseball team, losers of nine straight games and 13 of its last 15. But at 4 p.m.today, the Hoosiers (15-22) will host Indiana State (11-23) in the first of 11 straight games at Sembower Field, including eight conference games. \nThe Hoosiers are looking for a quick turnaround after getting swept at Penn State over the weekend, a series that saw the Hoosiers fall into sole possession of last place in the Big Ten. \nIU coach Tracy Smith said his team is looking forward to the quick turnaround, hoping to forget what Smith termed a “dismal” weekend.\n“We’re looking forward to it, because we want to get this thing on track,” Smith said. \nIt’s been a real night-and-day season for the Hoosiers, who have struggled mightily on the mound yet still lead the Big Ten in overall team batting. But, the factor upon which the season has likely turned is IU’s fumbling in the field – the Hoosiers are dead last in the Big Ten in defense. \nSo far this year, IU pitchers have surrendered 255 runs. Fifty of those runs have been unearned, the largest such number in the Big Ten. \nIndiana State comes to Bloomington on the heels of a 6-5 loss to Southern Illinois on Sunday. The Sycamores currently rank fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference in offense and eighth – second to last – in pitching. \nHeaded to the hill for the Hoosiers today will be sophomore right-hander Eric Arnett, currently 2-2 with a 5.40 ERA in 12 appearances. In his last outing, Arnett worked two scoreless innings of relief work in an 11-9 loss to Penn State on Sunday. \nArnett said as a pitcher, he’d like to help stop the Hoosiers’ current losing streak. But he said he’s mostly just focused on not giving Indiana State too many chances by limiting walks, something the Hoosiers have struggled with as a staff. \n“I’m just gonna go out there and try and throw strikes,” Arnett said. “Make them put the ball in play.”\nThe Hoosiers will look to the strong top half of their lineup against the Sycamores, as the team’s first six hitters are all currently batting .321 or better. Sophomore catcher Josh Phegley, the Big Ten’s second-best hitter, leads the group, currently batting .431 with five home runs and 42 runs batted in, all team highs. \nSmith credited his hitters’ hard-working mentality for their success this season. \n“They get after it,” Smith said with the sound of aluminum meeting leather behind him in the batting cages. “Practice ended about 30 minutes ago, and there are still 7-8 guys banging around the cage.”\nFreshman first baseman Jarrud Sabourin said the Hoosiers have striven for consistent production in the batter’s box \nall year. \n“We do the same things over and over in practice, and offensively, we have a lot of focus there,” Sabourin said. The Arizona native added that he and the rest of the lineup know keeping run production up while the pitching staff works out its problems will be key to further success this year. \nFirst pitch is set for 4 p.m. after being pushed back an hour due to scheduling problems faced by Indiana State. This will be the first and only time the Hoosiers and Sycamores meet this season, after having their March 6, game in Terre Haute canceled due to poor weather.
(04/21/08 4:52am)
A four-game sweep certainly could not have been what the IU baseball team envisioned when it headed to Penn State looking to break a five-game losing streak. But the bad became worse for the Hoosiers as the Nittany Lions sank IU (15-22, 4-12) further into the Big Ten cellar.\nBut it was not the usual poison for IU in Pennsylvania, as the Big Ten’s best offense struggled to put runs on the board for the visiting Hoosiers, totalling just 15 runs in the four-game set.\nIU coach Tracy Smith said Sunday his team has done well offensively this season, but he said it cannot simply rely on heavy offense every game. He said bats can cool off as easily as arms or gloves. \n“Sometimes that’s baseball,” Smith said. \nSunday might have been the toughest on the team. After letting Penn State explode for 11 runs in the first five innings – and roll through three different IU pitchers in the process – the Hoosier bullpen got a hold on the Nittany Lion bats. \nThe visitors launched a furious late-inning rally, plating three in the eighth and four in the ninth. But the Hoosiers bid to stop the bleeding came up two runs short, and Penn State took the fourth and final game, sweeping IU in the process. Sophomore pinch hit-designated hitter Michael Early finished 3-for-3 Sunday with two runs batted in, and freshman right fielder Kipp Schutz plated a pair of runs as well for the Hoosiers. \nGame one saw IU take a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning off sophomore catcher Josh Phegley’s 13th double of the season, driving in sophomore Tyler Rogers. \nIU sophomore Matt Bashore held the home team for the first three innings, but ran into trouble in the fourth. The Nittany Lions got to the sophomore left-hander – the Hoosiers best pitcher this year – using three hits and taking advantage of a timely walk to put two runs on the board and take a lead they never relinquished. Two errors and three walks an inning later left the score at 6-1, and the Hoosiers never closed the gap to less than three runs. \nGames two and three Saturday saw the Hoosiers fall big early and hard late, as an 8-1 early loss gave way to a walk-off 3-2 defeat for IU in the second game. \nIn game three, the Hoosiers again took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. An Andrew Means single, an Evan Crawford sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch put the junior center fielder and two-sport athlete at third – the perfect place for Phegley – who scored Means on a single. Means finished 3-for-4 on the day. \nPenn State answered with one run in the bottom of the first and another in the bottom of the third, putting the score at 2-1. The Hoosiers came back with one run of their own in the top of the fourth, and the score stayed knotted at two until the bottom of the seventh, when a two-out single with a runner on third sent the home fans away happy and the Hoosiers just short of their first win in a week and a half. \nNow mired in a nine-game losing streak, the Hoosiers will return home to face Indiana State at Sembower Field for the first of 11 straight games at home. However, Smith said he’s never thought playing at home made a big difference in his experience “because it’s still baseball.” \nAfter Sunday’s loss, Smith expressed disappointment in his team’s defensive mentality, something he said is costing them key runs. He said he wants his players to “want” the ball hit to them so they can make plays. \nThe veteran skipper said Sunday he remains confident in his team’s ability to compete with anyone the Hoosiers face. He said the problem they face is a lack of confidence, and he said it is up to him and his coaching staff to “keep these guys believing.” \n“We’re just going to keep working,” Smith said. “The thing that we need to mature on as a team is making the play, or making the pitch, or having the (at-bat) in the crucial time of the game when it matters.”
(04/18/08 3:51am)
Tommy John surgery.\nIt’s a term thrown around a lot in modern-day sports circles, a sort of “wonder cure” for pitchers unfortunate enough to tear their ulnar collateral ligament, a band in the elbow necessary for throwing at competition speeds.\nMajor League All-Stars such as John Smoltz and Mariano Rivera have undergone the procedure, returning as strong as or better than they were before.\nBut when senior right-hander Chris McCombs, a pitcher on the IU baseball team, had to undergo the procedure at an alarmingly early age – his junior year in high school – he certainly didn’t see it as a medical miracle.\n“It sucks,” said the Louisville native, who said he thinks arm overuse probably contributed to his injury. “That summer that I threw before the season, I was pitching in it seemed like every game.”\nAnd McCombs isn’t alone, at least not according to Dr. Dale Snead, an upper extremity surgeon with Methodist Sports Medicine. Snead estimated that he performs something in the ballpark of 20 Tommy John procedures each year, and he sees more than 100 patients for elbow trouble each year.\n“I saw two today,” Snead said Wednesday night.\nOnce reserved for professionals, Tommy John surgery is becoming a more widespread option for high school and college players – especially pitchers – seeking help with elbow problems.
(04/16/08 4:09am)
Baseball is a love-hate game, IU coach Tracy Smith says. Fate didn’t throw any love the Hoosiers’ way Tuesday night, that’s for sure. \nThe IU baseball team, reeling from a rough weekend and in desperate need of success on the mound, traveled down Interstate-65 on Tuesday for a midweek matchup with Louisville. The Hoosiers battled hard, leading for most of the game before surrendering the lead late and eventually losing on a walk-off, pinch-hit single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning. \nSenior right-hander Chris McCombs started and worked long innings, something IU needed after Iowa shelled the Hoosier pitching staff for 47 runs over four games last weekend. In total, McCombs worked seven innings, surrendering four runs and striking out four. Freshman Kyle Leiendecker and sophomore Eric Arnett combined for the last 1 2/3 innings, with Arnett picking up the loss. \nSmith said he needs others on his staff to follow McCombs’ example. He’s said all season he has confidence in his pitchers – they just need confidence in themselves and their abilities.\n“We’ve got to get everybody consistently giving us quality innings,” Smith said. “We want to see somebody else pick up the slack and do it again.”\nSmith said after the loss that he thought his team’s execution and focus was “light-years” ahead of what they displayed this weekend. He said Tuesday’s performance showed the Hoosiers true potential.\n“If we play, get that type of pitching ... we’ll win,” Smith said. “There’s no doubt in my mind.”\nMcCombs said he thinks his teammates can feed off his outing and regain their early-season form. \n“Hopefully,” McCombs said. “A lot of stuff in baseball’s contagious.”\nMcCombs, a Louisville native, said it felt good to pitch in his hometown. He called the trip back home “a plus.”\nThe late innings spelled drama for the Hoosiers. After Louisville picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth to take a 4-3 lead – the home team’s first of the evening – sophomore catcher Josh Phegley led off the ninth with a single. He advanced to second on a pitch in the dirt, and a Jerrud Sabourin single drove in Phegley and locked the score at 4-4. \nBut it wasn’t enough. \nLouisville’s Tyler Christensen delivered with a two-out pinch-hit single to drive in the winning run and give his team a 5-4 victory over the visiting Hoosiers. \nIn the loss, the Hoosiers struck quickly, plating a run in the first inning. Junior center fielder Andrew Means led off the contest with a double to right. A pair of groundouts moved him to third and then brought him home, with Phegley picking up the RBI. \nIU got two more runs in the second after a pair of singles from Sabourin and junior Chris Hervey put two runners on. With the pair at second and third – Hervey took second when Louisville failed to throw out Sabourin at third – a two-out single by Louisville native and senior shortstop David Trager scored Sabourin. A throwing error allowed Hervey to score as well, giving McCombs three quick runs in the first two innings. \nThe Hoosiers will get a chance to turn things around within 24 hours, as they host Ball State at 3 p.m. today at Sembower Field. Smith said he didn’t know who would talk the hill for the Hoosiers against their in-state visitors, but hopes to save as many pitchers as possible for the weekend trip to Penn State.
(04/15/08 4:04am)
After a weekend of rough weather and tough losses, the IU baseball team gets a chance to rebound in a big way early this week as it travels to Louisville for the first of two non-conference games. The Cardinals (19-14) present a tall task for the Hoosiers (12-18) because they played in the College World Series in Ohama, Neb., last year. \nThe Hoosiers come into today’s game reeling after dropping three of four to Iowa this weekend. The Hoosiers struggled from the mound, surrendering 47 runs during four games against Iowa. IU has lost seven of its last nine, including three against each Illinois and Iowa. \nDespite his team’s weekend trouble, IU coach Tracy Smith said he sees great opportunity in playing Louisville. He said the Hoosiers plan to use some new personnel to try and get “back on track.” He said playing a team like Louisville gives his squad a chance to get back into the win column with style against a team fresh off a trip to Omaha last season. \nTaking the mound for the Hoosiers today will be senior right-hander Chris McCombs, a Louisville native. Smith said he hopes playing in his hometown will give McCombs even greater focus against the Cardinals. \n“Hopefully he’ll have a little extra in the tank for them,” Smith said by phone Monday. “We’re a little thin right now; we used a lot of guys this weekend.”\nMcCombs – 2-0 with a 4.05 earned run average in 10 appearances – said he’s just looking to throw strikes and use the defense behind him to get a win and pump some confidence into his young team. \n“We just need to see some consistency out of the pitching staff right now,” McCombs said. “We just need to get some confidence back.” \nMcCombs said the pitching staff is comforted by the fact that the offense was greatly improved from a year ago. The Hoosiers, currently first in the Big Ten in overall hitting, runs and total hits, are having little trouble lighting up the scoreboard.\n“I know my offense is going to be behind me,” McCombs said. “It’s a huge burden off our shoulders.”\nMcCombs will face a tough test against a Louisville offense ranked third in the Big East in hitting. The Cardinals are also second in the conference in runs and RBIs, though they are last in walks. \nPitching has been something of a different animal for the team along the Ohio River. Louisville is seventh in the Big East in pitching. However, it is second in the conference in strikeouts. \nThe Hoosiers need to regain their confidence as a team to know they can compete with anyone, McCombs said. As a senior, he said he’s seen some rough seasons in Bloomington, but said this is the most talent he’s seen in his four years in cream and crimson. The senior said he just needs to “keep reassuring these guys that we have what it takes.” \n“There’s a tendency for some guys at this point to say ‘here we go again,’” he said. “It’s so much different (this year) in just knowing we can compete.”
(04/11/08 4:35am)
Just a week ago, the IU baseball team (14-13, 3-5) came out of a midweek meeting with Miami (Ohio) on April 2 on a high note, feeling good about a 5-2 victory that came despite struggling in the batter’s box. \nWhat a difference a week makes.\nThe Hoosiers – losers of four of their last five games – will welcome Iowa to town this weekend for a four-game tilt, part of which will be featured on the Big Ten Network. The network will cover the doubleheader Saturday, which begins at noon. This is the teams’ first appearance on the network this year.\nThe Hoosiers find themselves in something of a spring funk this week, having lost three in a row. Their last outing was an 11-4 debacle on a return trip to Miami, which saw the Hoosiers use seven pitchers and give up 10 earned runs. \nPitching has been a problem for the Hoosiers over the last week-plus, something that hasn’t gone unnoticed by IU coach Tracy Smith. IU has given up more than 10 runs per game in the last five games, including four runs in the ninth inning of an 8-7 loss to Illinois on April 5.\nSmith has said all along that he believes his pitching staff has plenty of ability. He said confidence in that ability has become the stumbling block. That’s why Smith said this weekend’s series is key to his team regaining form.\n“Each guy has to realize the importance of this series,” Smith said. “You just hope that you’ve done enough and we’ve run the program the right way.”\nThe Hoosiers might have the right team to rebound against. Iowa is currently 9-17 and a Big Ten-worst 1-7 in conference. \nThe Hawkeyes are eighth in hitting and seventh in pitching overall in the conference. By comparison, the Hoosiers are third in hitting and sixth \nin pitching.\nSophomore catcher Josh Phegley leads the way for IU, hitting a Big Ten-best .430 among hitters with 100 or more at-bats. Phegley also has three home runs and 28 runs batted this season.\nSmith added the Hoosiers might have an extra bit of support from the pitching staff this weekend. He said this weekend will be the first time IU has gone into a weekend series with its pitching staff set, which has not happened yet due to injuries. \nThe Hoosiers aren’t all healthy, however. They’re still missing junior center fielder and team captain Andrew Means – out with a wrist injury – and freshman southpaw Kyle Leiendecker, who’s been fighting arm trouble. Smith described both as “day-to-day” in an interview after the Miami game Wednesday. Leiendecker is not expected to go this weekend, and Means’ status remained unchanged at of \npress time. \nSmith said the coaching staff recognizes that the Little 500 festivities will be a distraction this weekend. He said the team will be staying together off campus to “minimize the distractions.”\nSmith also said he and his team are looking forward to playing on television this weekend, calling the network good for the Big Ten as a whole. \nThe IU coach added he thinks his team can rebound this weekend, saying it needs to find their early-season confidence and remember that the players “are the same people that beat LSU and beat \nFrenso State.” \nWe still feel good about our chances,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll be ready to go.”
(04/10/08 4:14am)
IU baseball coach Tracy Smith called on his pitching staff to improve after losing three of four against Illinois last weekend. But a trip east to Oxford, Ohio, only left Smith more frustrated, after Miami (Ohio) took the Hoosier pitching staff to the proverbial barn, scoring 10 earned runs in an 11-4 victory. \nThe RedHawks started fast, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings and knocking IU starting pitcher Doug Fleenor out of the game after only three innings. The Hoosiers answered with one run in the second and two in the fourth, cutting the score to 4-3. \nThat was as close as \nIU got. \nA home run by RedHawk left fielder Chris Nadeau in the bottom of the fourth pushed the score to 5-3, and three-run fifth and sixth innings widened a gap the Hoosiers did not close. \nSophomore third baseman Tyler Rogers’ RBI in the eighth – \nhis second of the game – did little to soothe the wounds the Miami lineup inflicted. \nThe RedHawks forced the Hoosiers to use seven pitchers on the evening, none lasting more than Fleenor’s three innings. \nAfter the game, Smith said his team’s struggles on the mound have him “concerned.” He reiterated that he thinks the skill is in place, but his players need to be more confident in their abilities. \n“Truly to me it’s mentality at this point,” Smith said. “It’s lack of confidence. When you’re not confident, it’s tough to execute.”\nNadeau caused his share of trouble for the Hoosiers, going 3-for-4 with a lone RBI coming on his home run. Designated hitter John Hornke also went 3-for-5. Miami had seven different players record at least one RBI, and 10 different RedHawks had at least one hit. \nHowever, Smith said it was the walks his staff surrendered – eight of them, to be precise – that frustrated him the most. He said he doesn’t think his team is being aggressive enough in the strike zone, something else he attributed to a lack of confidence. \n“It starts above the shoulders, getting the mind right, getting them to understand and believe,” Smith said. “You’ve gotta have some confidence.”
(04/07/08 6:48am)
New IU coach Tom Crean received a contract offer last week that will make him one of the highest-paid men’s basketball coaches in the country. Like Crean said himself, it’s Indiana. \nAccording to the memorandum of agreement between IU Director of Athletics Rick Greenspan and Crean, obtained by the Indiana Daily Student through an open records request, Crean will make a base salary of $600,000 a year. His supplemental salary will push it to $2 million in his first year. That supplemental salary will increase $80,000 each subsequent year.\nAdditionally, Crean can make as much as $685,000 a year in bonuses based on his team’s performance. The highest paying bonuses would reward the new coach with $250,000 for winning the NCAA Tournament and $125,000 for winning a Big Ten regular season title or reaching the Final Four. \nThe document shows that IU paid $650,000 to buy out Crean’s contract with Marquette. Conversely, should Crean wish to buy out his contract at IU, it will cost him $3,000,000 in the first three years of his contract, $2,000,000 in the next two years and $1,000,000 in the last three. \nIf the University wishes to buy out Crean’s contract, they will pay either the remaining base salary owed to the coach through his contract or $3,000,000, whichever is less expensive. In the event of a buyout, Crean would be required to sign a “a release in form and substance satisfactory to the University” to receive compensation. \nIn addition to monetary compensation, Crean will receive the use of two University-provided cars with “appropriate insurance.” He will also receive “full standard benefits” – such as health and dental insurance – “on the same terms as provided by the University to all similarly situated employees.”\nCrean will be allowed use of IU’s athletic facilities for three weeks “in connection with a summer youth’s basketball camp.” The University must be reimbursed for overhead costs from those camps. \nThe contract will also prohibit Crean from receiving any sort of compensation or benefit from any source other than the University without first obtaining permission in writing from IU.\n“It is with great anticipation and enthusiasm that I offer you the position of Head Men’s Basketball Coach at Indiana University,” Greenspan wrote at the end of the letter. “I have every confidence that you will lead our athletics program with integrity and pride, and I look forward to welcoming you as a member of the Indiana University family.”
(04/07/08 5:09am)
The rain that never came pushed the IU baseball team’s weekend series against Illinois back one day, giving way to some of the best weather Bloomington has seen in 2008. \nBut the results did not go hand-in-hand with blue skies for the Hoosiers (14-11, 3-4) against the visiting Illini (16-8, 5-2), at least not in games one and three. \nThe Hoosiers welcomed Illinois to town for a four-game tilt set to begin Friday, but only got three games in this weekend after wet conditions pushed the series back a day. \nThe Hoosiers lost it late in game one Saturday, surrendering four ninth-inning runs in an 8-7 loss. The next afternoon, sophomore right-hander Matt Bashore soothed the previous night’s wounds with a seven-inning complete game, only surrendering one run in an 8-1 win. But the pitching struggled again in game three, and the Illini used three runs in the first two innings and four more in the fifth for a 7-4 win.\nAfter Sunday’s action, IU coach Tracy Smith said he wants to see more confidence from his pitchers. He said besides Bashore, he thinks his staff is walking too many batters and lacking what he termed “that killer instinct.” \n“The ability’s there, but it’s the mentality ... and right now we don’t have it,” Smith said Sunday. “It goes back to that mentality of ‘I refuse to be scored on.’ Right now I see a lot of doubt in our pitchers.”\nSmith said, however, Bashore’s performance in game one Sunday reaffirmed him as the staff’s most consistent pitcher. The sophomore from Tipp City, Ohio, threw a complete game Sunday, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out eight. \nSo far this season, Bashore is 3-2 with a 1.56 ERA in \nsix starts.\n“I’m just trying to give us a chance to win,” Bashore said after Sunday’s action. “Just trying to get ahead of hitters and not trying to do too much. Our defense has really picked up, and it’s made me a lot more comfortable out there.”\nIllinois’ Scott Shaw countered Bashore with a complete game performance of his own in game two Sunday, throwing an astounding 130 pitches over seven innings. \nSophomore catcher Josh Phegley said Sunday that he thought Shaw did a good job keeping his pitches away from IU hitters, something the right-hander appeared to be emphasizing from the mound all afternoon. Phegley said the Hoosiers tried too hard to pull the ball, leading to too many fly-ball outs. \n“He was just staying away from us,” Phegley said. “He did a great job keeping everything off the plate, away from our power zone.” \nThe Hoosiers managed two home runs Sunday – a two-run shot by freshman infielder Jerrud Sabourin in the fourth and a solo home run by Phegley in the seventh – off Shaw. They had little else to show in game three, however, scoring just one run in the third after Shaw walked the bases loaded with one out. \nConversely, the Illini forced the Hoosiers to use five different pitchers in game three, scoring off of three of them. They chased sophomore left-hander Chris Squires from the game after just one inning, plating three runs on the Fort Wayne native. Sophomore Jason Ferrell and senior Chris McCombs surrendered a pair of runs each in the fourth, digging a hole IU would never leave. \nGame two saw more big offense from the Hoosiers, who used 12 hits and eight runs to back up Bashore and cruise to victory. IU got a home run from freshman right fielder Kipp Schutz and two runs from junior center fielder Andrew Means in a game in which the Hoosiers never trailed. \nIt was one of Means’ two runs that likely turned the most heads, considering the junior stole home to get it. With two out in the bottom of the first, Means – currently 16-of-18 on the basepaths this year – took off from third and scored in one of the most unlikely ways to do so in baseball. \nIU was in firm control of game one headed into the ninth, thanks in large part to Phegley’s 5-for-5 performance at the plate. \nThe Hoosiers had rallied from a 4-1 deficit to take a 7-4 lead into the final frame, but four Illini crossed home plate in the ninth. The Hoosiers couldn’t answer in their half, and the game ended an 8-7 Illinois win. \nThe Friday postponement means the Hoosiers will have one less day off between the end of their series with Illinois and their Wednesday road contest at Miami (Ohio). However, Smith was adamant that today’s series finale against Illinois is all the Hoosiers are thinking about. \n“Our whole entire focus is on (today),” Smith said Sunday afternoon. “If we’ve gotta use 15 pitchers in (today’s) game, we’ll use 15 pitchers and throw a student trainer or manager on Wednesday.”
(04/04/08 7:03pm)
Former IU standout Ted Kitchel said he was surprised when he picked up the phone Wednesday and heard B.J. McElroy, secretary of the men’s basketball office, on the other end. It wasn’t McElroy who surprised him – Kitchel said they speak from time to time – but instead the person to whom the call would be patched through – new IU coach Tom Crean.\n“I was surprised that he called,” said Kitchel, an All-Big Ten and All-American performer on IU’s 1981 National Championship team. “To hear the excitement in his voice, it was nice to have talked to him. I’ll be very supportive of him and the program.”\nTodd Leary, former IU guard and current member of the men’s basketball broadcast team for the IU radio network, said he felt that same sort of excitement. \n“It’s unfortunate the year is over, because I’m excited to get things rolling right now,” Leary said. \nLeary said he thinks it’s important for Crean to develop a solid rapport with former IU players, who Leary said could be invaluable recruiting allies. \n“Where this recruiting situation sits right now, I think that’s going to be his best tool to recruit with,” Leary said at the Hoosier Room at Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, “and you really need to have as many positive things going out there as you can.”\nFormer IU All-American Kent Benson said Wednesday he was “ecstatic” at hearing the news of Crean’s hiring.\n“The Indiana basketball program is being turned around just by his credibility and his success,” Benson said.\nBenson had been an outspoken critic of former IU coach Kelvin Sampson, who resigned in February amid further allegations of recruitment violations. \nThe New Castle, Ind., native said at the time he would never attend an IU basketball game until Sampson was gone. However, Benson showed no signs of such protest this time around. When asked if he would attend Crean’s first game as coach at IU next fall, Benson replied, “Absolutely, I’ll be there even before then.”\nKitchel said he watched the press conference held to introduce the new coach, and he said he saw genuine enthusiasm in Crean’s words. \nLeary agreed, adding he sensed Crean embraces the meaning of tradition to the IU men’s basketball program.\n“You can read a book and you can understand the (IU) tradition,” Leary said. “You couldn’t read enough books to go through some of the things that he just said here in the last few hours, so I think there’s definitely an appreciation for the program.”\nKitchel said he’s watched Marquette over the last few years, and said Crean’s teams have impressed him in that time. He singled out two facets of their play in particular – their toughness and “how hard they play.” Kitchel said he believes Crean can put IU basketball back on track by emphasizing those areas of the game.\n“That’s something that we’ve got to get back to,” Kitchel said from his home Wednesday. “I think that he’ll be a good leader, be a good coach and give some good direction.”\nLeary said he was supportive of the University removing the interim tag and making Dan Dakich the full-time coach. However, Leary said after Crean’s press conference that he fully supports the former Marquette man taking the reigns in Bloomington. \nBenson said Crean has the right attitude toward authority and discipline necessary to bring the Hoosiers back together after a year of turmoil that saw several players skip Dakich’s first practice as head coach, two of whom would later be kicked off the team. \n“You’ve got to have that type of discipline, especially with the attitudes and the dissension that was on this team,” Benson said. \nWhen asked about Dakich’s dismissal of sophomore guard Armon Bassett and junior guard/forward Jamarcus Ellis, both Kitchel and Benson said they think Crean will at least speak to both players about rejoining the team. \n“I think that’s entirely up to coach Crean,” Benson said, adding he thinks they will both be expected to respect Crean’s authority, “or they’ll be gone.”\nKitchel hammered on his belief that Crean should take care to run a clean program, a sentiment Benson shared. Kitchel said he doesn’t believe success in college basketball is solely about wins and losses, and he said he thinks Crean recognizes that.\n“It’s important to build a program you can be proud of for 20 or 30 years rather than just winning basketball games,” Kitchel said. “If you get the right people with the right mind-set and do it the right way, it can be done.”\nStaff writer Michael Sanserino contributed to this report.
(04/04/08 4:04am)
On the back of a modest three-game win streak, the IU baseball team will gear up for a four-game home stand this weekend – \ntheir first of the Big Ten season – \nagainst Illinois. The Hoosiers (13-9) come into the series on the heels of a 5-2 home victory over Miami (Ohio) on Wednesday that featured strong pitching and defense. \nPresently, IU and Illinois are both playing some of the best baseball in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers – currently ranked second in the Big Ten in hitting and third in the Big Ten in pitching – \nare 10-3 in their last 13 games, while the Illini are 11-2 over a similar stretch. \nThe two teams are tied in team batting with an average of .322.\nHowever, there is a good chance not all will go according to plan this weekend for the Hoosiers. Due to predicted heavy rains Thursday and Friday, the Hoosiers and Illini will be forced to push their Friday-Sunday series to Monday. The first game will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, then a doubleheader Sunday and a final game Monday will round out \nthe series.\nIn their last time out, the Hoosiers defeated the visiting RedHawks despite painting just four hits onto the scoreboard and stranding 10 runners. Pitching and defense picked up the slack for the Hoosiers, and IU cruised to a relatively painless home win.\nSenior infielder David Trager, who recorded two hits on the day, said winning those kinds of games – \nwhere, for example, one facet of the Hoosiers’ overall performance struggles – \nwill be important for the team’s confidence.\n“Those are the type of game we’re going to have to win to do some damage in the Big Ten this year,” Trager said after \nWednesday’s win.\nTrager also said overall success helps feed the team’s confidence in other areas of their game. He attributed part of the Hoosiers’ solid defensive performance to the team’s faith in the pitching staff.\n“If you know that your pitcher’s out there doing their thing, you know, in their zone, then it gives hitters a lot more confidence,” Trager said. “It just lets us relax; there’s not as much pressure on us to get our job done.”\nIllinois arrives in Bloomington packing a serious offensive punch, but finding itself settled into the middle of the pack in conference pitching. The Illini sport a 14-7 overall record and a 3-1 conference record after taking their Big Ten season-opening series against Michigan State last weekend.
(04/02/08 4:58am)
Fresh off the heels of two strong wins and a conference-opening series split with Minnesota, the IU baseball team returns home today to play a set of faces growing less and less familiar to IU coach Tracy Smith. The Hoosiers will welcome Miami (Ohio), Smith’s alma mater and former team, to Bloomington for a 3 p.m. midweek contest. \nHowever, Smith – who left Miami for IU three years ago – said he doesn’t really feel connected to his former team, nor does he feel a different sense of urgency playing them. \n“I’m good friends with the coach,” Smith said before practice Tuesday. “We’ve recruited some of the kids that are still upperclassmen, so it’ll be nice to see them, but there’s really no extra emphasis on that. There’s no rah-rah speech to go beat Miami.”\nThe Hoosiers come into the midweek contest after splitting a four-game series by rallying to win the last two games at Minnesota. Smith said he was pleased that his team kept its poise after losing its first two Big Ten games. \n“The guys knew their backs were against the wall, and came out and battled and took the last two on the road against a very good team, so that’s a positive,” Smith said.\nSophomore catcher Josh Phegley said on Tuesday he and his teammates “gave” a win to the Golden Gophers on Saturday, but rallied, despite some injury trouble on the pitching staff. \n“We split with Minnesota; they’re a pretty good team,” Phegley said. “I think a lot of us see that we probably \ncould have swept if we played the baseball that we’re capable of.”\nPhegley himself had a banner Saturday, capping off a three-run performance with a monster home run that landed 25-30 rows deep in the
(03/28/08 4:22am)
IU coach Tracy Smith has said all year that everything he and his team have done has been building toward Big Ten play. It’s time to stop building and see what they’ve done. \nThe IU baseball team travels to Minnesota this weekend for a four-game set with the Golden Gophers. The series marks the start of conference competition for the Hoosiers (10-7), who will take a five-game winning streak with them to Minneapolis. \nLast time out, the Hoosiers used a five-run sixth inning to blow out visiting Xavier 10-4 in just their third home game of the year. Senior right hander Chris McCombs picked up the victory for the home squad, and freshman right fielder Kipp Schutz and sophomore catcher Josh Phegley combined to drive in six of the Hoosiers’ nine earned runs. \nSchutz has had the hot bat for the Hoosiers from the cleanup spot. Against Xavier, Schutz went 4-for-5 with three runs batted in, pushing his batting average to .373 in the process. The Evansville native said after Wednesday’s win that he was pleased with his performance, as well as the improved weather. \n“I was seeing it well, just trying to get some hits,” Schutz said.\nPhegley also had another impressive day behind the plate and next to it against Xavier, gunning down three runners trying to steal second. So far this season, Phegley is 10-of-19 in throwing out base runners, and several of the missed chances came on first-and-third situations when Phegley held onto the ball to keep the runner at third from scoring. Still, that mark is good enough for first in the Big Ten among regular catchers. \nSmith said having that kind of reliability behind the plate makes everyone feel more confident and at ease, both players \nand coaches. \n“He is a weapon behind the plate, plain and simple,” Smith said. \nPhegley said playing defense is his “favorite part” of playing catcher.\n“That’s why I’m back there,” said the sophomore from Terre Haute. He also said his defensive success aided in his confidence in the batters box. \nIn Minnesota, IU will face a team sitting middle of the pack in the Big Ten. The Gophers (10-9) are seventh in the conference in both hitting and pitching, but their non-conference success thus far has them a firm fifth overall, just behind IU, in the conference standings. \nStatistics aside, the Gophers are riding an impressive 12-5 victory over No. 2 Missouri in their Wednesday matchup with the Tigers. The win was Minnesota’s third over a ranked team this season, having beaten No. 18 Tulane and No. 29 Pepperdine at home earlier this year. \nHome is a rather big place for the Gophers at present. Due to inclement and cold weather, Minnesota plays most of its games in the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis — home of the Twins and Vikings — until warmer weather permits them to play outside. \nThe Hoosiers, by comparison, rank second in the conference in both hitting and pitching, something Smith was pleased with. However, he said his team still needs to work on its defense. \nPhegley said the team is looking forward to Big Ten play. He said the Hoosiers’ non-conference schedule will help them carry their hot bats and win streak into their first conference series.\n“I think we’re swinging the bats really well,” Phegley said. “Just trying to keep that going as long as we can.” \nSchutz said his team’s winning streak will be important heading into conference play, as they look to qualify for the Big \nTen Tournament. \n“I think it’s big that we won five in a row,” Schutz said. “This gives us a lot of confidence, we’re finding ways to win, and winning’s contagious, so hopefully we keep going.”\nStaff reporter Ryan Gregg contributed to this report.
(03/26/08 3:29am)
Confidence is the buzz word at Sembower Field this week, and the IU baseball team is brimming with it. That’s what happens when a team puts together a four-game winning streak and ranks second in the Big Ten in both hitting and pitching with the conference schedule right around the corner. \nBut tempered optimism is the order of the day for the Hoosiers, who will host Xavier today at 3 p.m. at Sembower Field looking to extend their momentum prior to opening Big Ten play this weekend. \n“We just try to take it one game at a time,” freshman outfielder Kipp Schutz said before practice Tuesday. “We know that we can’t look past any of our opponents.”\nPart of that increase in confidence is due to a greater level of experience on the team, especially among the heralded sophomore class that logged so many innings as freshmen last year.\n“The main thing for our class was just getting a lot of playing time last year and getting that experience and knowing what to expect,” Schutz said.\nIU coach Tracy Smith said he thinks his team is learning what a winning mentality feels like. \n“I think there’s no question,” Smith said, standing outside his team’s locker room before practice Tuesday. “I’ve said, you learn how to win, you learn how to lose. So, hopefully, we’re starting to learn how to win a little bit, and know what that feels like.”\nAwaiting the Hoosiers in their third game at Sembower in 2008 are the Xavier Musketeers (6-10), who come to Bloomington fresh off a 5-3 loss to Dayton. The Musketeers struggle both in the box and on the mound, boasting just a .250 team batting average while carrying a 6.57 overall team ERA.\nThere will be a familiar face on the opposing bench today in the form of Xavier coach Scott Googins, who spent eight years as an assistant at IU and worked under Smith at Miami (Ohio) before leaving to take the top slot at Xavier. \nExpected to start for the Hoosiers today is sophomore right-hander Eric Arnett, who is currently 2-0 with a 3.97 ERA in five appearances. Arnett said his focus on the mound this afternoon will be to force as many ground balls as possible and to throw strikes early in the count.\nArnett said he feels the same confidence Smith and Schutz talked about, something he said makes the game more fun. \n“It makes it a lot easier to pitch when you have people that are excited about winning and confident about winning behind you,” said the Evansville native.\nArnett also said the improved weather — which means the team can practice outside instead of at Mellencamp Pavilion — is helping both the hitters and pitchers improve.\nSomething that isn’t improving, much to Smith’s chagrin, is IU’s team defense, which ranks second to last in the Big Ten with 33 errors. Smith said the team will continue to work on improving their defense, as well as rotating players to try and solve their fielding woes. \nThe Hoosiers begin Big Ten play Friday at Minnesota. The Hoosiers have said all along that conference play this year is their main focus as they look to return to the Big Ten Tournament for the first time since 2003. \n“We certainly want to have a good showing against Xavier tomorrow,” Smith said. “But everything we’ve talked about up to this point is preparing for the Big Ten, which I think we’ve done a pretty good job of doing.”
(03/24/08 4:01am)
A season marked by youth and inconsistency came to an end for the IU women’s basketball team Saturday night at the hands of visiting James Madison. More specifically, the Hoosiers were derailed by two guards, senior Tamera Young and freshman Dawn Evans, who combined for 68 points in the Dukes’ 86-81 overtime win at Assembly Hall. \nThe Dukes battled IU for the middle 20 minutes of the game, rallying from as many as 10 points down to take their first lead at 14:16 in the second half. However, IU used strong defensive pressure and a solid transition offense to remain in the lead through most of the frame.\nJames Madison did not go quietly, however, using strong 3-point shooting down the stretch to keep the score close, and a Young layup with five seconds remaining sent the game to overtime. \nFrom there, 3-point and free throw shooting doomed the Hoosiers to an early exit from their third WNIT in as many years. \nJames Madison’s 6-foot-2 star Young wasted no time reminding those in attendance why she is the Dukes’ all-time leading scorer. The senior from Wilmington, N.C., poured in 30 points, 17 in the first half alone. \nBut it was Evans who stole the day, cramming the stat sheet to the tune of 38 points – tying Young’s program-high, set just two days ago against Radford – with 33 in the second half and overtime. \nShe also helped ice the game, hitting several clutch free throws late in the game to seal James Madison’s victory. \nJunior forward Whitney Thomas said she and her teammates knew coming that Young and Evans would be threats, but she said the Hoosiers didn’t look at either player as un-guardable.\n“We knew they were great players,” Thomas said. “When you lose, you go home, so those shots are going to happen when you have that in your mind.” \nIU answered Evans and Young with their patented balanced attack, as five players reached double figures. Thomas led the Hoosiers with 26 points – a career high – and eight rebounds. She was joined by low-post mate junior Amber Jackson, who scored 15 points. \nIU emphasized the low post on the offensive end, and led James Madison 30-26 in points in the paint for the game. IU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said afterward that going down low wasn’t originally part of the game plan for the Hoosiers. \n“We said we were going to dictate, and whoever gets the opportunity to be successful offensively, we’re going to go to that well until that well ran dry,” Legette-Jack said. “It kind of set itself up to be an inside game at the beginning.”\nThe Hoosiers struggled mightily against James Madison on the glass. The Dukes beat IU 49-32 in rebounds, notching nearly as many offensive rebounds as IU has total boards. \nJames Madison coach Kenny Brooks said after the game that rebounding has been his team’s bread and butter all season. \n“We’ve done it since game one,” he said. “It’s been a big part of us.”\nLegette-Jack praised her team’s effort after the game – both Saturday night and all season. She was emotional after the game when talking about the pride she felt for her team and what they accomplished this season. \n“There’s a place for this team in a higher place,” she said, wiping tears from her face. “For some reason, it just isn’t right now. And I can go on all day about my pride of each individual, but know (that) they fill me with joy.”
(03/21/08 4:56am)
IU women’s basketball coach Felisha Legette-Jack said two weeks ago, after her team’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal loss to Purdue, that she would relish any opportunity to take her young team to the postseason. That opportunity comes Saturday night. \nAfter receiving an at-large bid to their third straight WNIT, the Hoosiers prepare to face James Madison University at 7:05 p.m. Saturday night at Assembly Hall. The Dukes will come to Bloomington by virtue of having beaten Radford in the competition’s first round, held Thursday. \n“We’re excited about this, and we’re up for the challenge,” Legette-Jack said Tuesday of her reaction to her team’s at-large bid. \nThe Hoosiers (18-14, 11-9) come into the WNIT after an up-and-down season that saw them beat two ranked teams and win three of their first four Big Ten road games before sputtering toward the end of the season. Legette-Jack gave her players a week off between the conference tournament and the WNIT selection, something senior guard Nikki Smith said helped the team physically and mentally. \n“I’m old, so any time off is good for me,” Smith, the team’s only senior, said with a laugh.\nFreshman guard Jori Davis said the week off gave the Hoosiers a greater appreciation for the fact that they were playing in the postseason, as well. \n“Had a lot of thinking to do,” Davis said after practice Tuesday. “About the game, the Big Ten Tournament, and it just made you get more hungry to want to come back, so it’s like a blessing to be able to go to the postseason.”\nBalance will be the order of the day for the Hoosiers, as it has been all year. IU has four players who average in double figures, with All-Big Ten second-team point guard Jamie Braun leading the way with 14.5 points per game. Fellow second-team selection Whitney Thomas averages 11.8 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, good for third in the conference. \nIU has also been strong defensively this season, averaging a league-best 9.41 steals per game as a team. \nAwaiting the Hoosiers from the visitor’s bench will be James Madison, a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Dukes also received an at-large bid to the WNIT, joining conference foe Virginia Commonwealth in the tournament. \nLeading the Dukes on offense is James Madison’s all-time leading scorer, Tamera Young. A 6-foot-2 guard, Young averages 19.3 points per game. \nYoung and her teammates could present some matchup problems for the Hoosiers, as James Madison’s roster contains five guards at 5-foot-10 or taller. \nThis will be the Hoosiers’ third-straight WNIT appearance, and second under Legette-Jack. Last year, the Hoosiers defeated Iona at home before losing on the road at South Dakota State. \nSmith said that, although this is her third trip to the WNIT, playing in the postseason never becomes routine, and she hopes her younger teammates feel the same way. \n“I don’t want it to ever become regular for anyone,” Smith said, “because I think that when you settle for just playing in the NIT, you don’t ever look to what’s bigger. I never got a chance to play in the NCAAs, and I’m hoping that these younger kids will get a chance to. \nSmith also said she is “excited” to play one more home game before her last year ends.\nThe Hoosiers are one of nine Big Ten teams in the postseason – \nfour teams made the NCAA Tournament and five teams, including IU, made the WNIT. For the Big Ten, a conference maligned much of the season for its lack of star power and depth, Legette-Jack said such strong postseason representation is important. \n“It says a lot about our administration and our Big Ten conference,” Legette-Jack said at practice Tuesday. “I’m excited about the future of our Big Ten.”\nWhen asked what they thought the team’s goal is coming into the WNIT, Smith and Davis answered emphatically and identically. \n“Win a championship,” Smith said, to which Davis added, “Win championships. That’s everything.”
(03/19/08 4:24am)
One day after learning their season was not over, members of the IU women’s basketball team took the Assembly Hall floor for practice, albeit without a specific opponent in mind. That’s because they don’t have one yet.\nThe Hoosiers received an at-large bid to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament late Monday night, but their first-round opponent has yet to be determined. IU will play the winner of Thursday’s game between James Madison and Radford. \nIU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said she is excited to have the opportunity to take her young team to postseason play. \n“I’m very honored,” she said after practice Tuesday. “I’m very honored that the WNIT invited us into their tournament, because our young kids need the opportunity to learn what it feels like to play in the postseason.”\nIllinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Michigan State all made the WNIT field as well, meaning the Big Ten has nine teams in postseason competition. Minnesota, Ohio State, Iowa and Purdue all made the NCAA Tournament field, also announced Monday evening. \nLegette-Jack said that number proved the mettle of the Big Ten, which has been maligned by some pundits this season for its lack of depth. \n“I think that, whether people want to do it or not, they’re going to have to give us a little respect that we’re playing competitive basketball,” Legette-Jack said.\nIn their last game, the Hoosiers battled in-state rival Purdue for much of their Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal matchup before falling late to the eventual Big Ten Champions, 64-54. \nThe trip will be the Hoosiers’ third consecutive WNIT appearance, dating back to now-Purdue coach Sharon Versyp’s one-year stint at IU. Last year, Legette-Jack led the Hoosiers to a first-round win over Iona before eventually falling to South Dakota State on the road.\n“Last year, we had a nice little run, we won games and then we went to South Dakota State and ran out of players,” Legette-Jack said. “Now that we’ve got players, can we sustain the aggression and enthusiasm of our opponents, and not only sustain it, but surpass it? That will be our challenge.”
(03/17/08 4:40am)
The IU baseball team spent spring break in California, just like plenty of other college students. There probably wasn’t much time for sightseeing though. \nThe team traveled to Fresno, Calif., for eight games in eight days – a two-game set against Fresno State before the six-game round-robin Pepsi/Johnny Quik Tournament. After losing their first three games out west, the Hoosiers (7-7) heated up, winning four of their last five to break an even 4-4 on the trip. The four victories brought the Hoosiers a third- place finish in the tournament. \nIU coach Tracy Smith said he believes his team improved over the break, which was his main focus out west. \n“I was pleased,” Smith said Saturday. “I thought we got better and just more comfortable playing the game of baseball as the week went on.”\nThird place wasn’t the only thing IU brought home with them from the Pacific Time Zone. Sophomore shortstop Evan Crawford was named the tournament’s top overall offensive player after notching a .464 batting average, driving in eight runs and stealing five bases. \nCrawford, who began the tournament with a 3-for-4 performance against Gonzaga, called the award a “pretty good accomplishment.” Overall, Crawford had five multi-hit games in the series. \nCrawford said he believed both he and the team started the trip sluggish. He credited Smith for bringing the team together. \n“Coach Smith told us to start trusting each other and believing we could win,” Crawford said. \nHowever, the trip’s most exciting moment had nothing to do with third place. \nWith IU up 8-0 in the eighth, Crawford and junior outfielder Andrew Means led off the inning with back-to-back singles. \nDuring the next at-bat, Fresno State pitcher Jake Floethe hit IU’s Josh Phegley in the back with the first pitch. Smith took exception, calling the pitch intentional. Emotions ran high, and both benches emptied onto the field. \nNo serious fighting broke out, but the umpires chose to eject all players who ran onto the field that were not currently playing, forcing both teams to play out the rest of the game with the lineups they had prior to Phegley’s at-bat.\n“I have always had an issue with that – when you start throwing at kids, you are putting kids’ careers in jeopardy, and to me there is no place for that,” Smith said following the game. “It’s not something we are proud of and I wish it wouldn’t have happened.”\nCrawford said he and his teammates knew they had to protect each other, but none of them were looking for a fight or were proud of what transpired. \n“We stuck together as a team and that was good, but the whole situation was bad overall,” Crawford said. \nIU quickly put that incident – and an 11-2 loss to Utah the next day – behind them, thanks to sophomore pitcher Matt Bashore. The Tipp City, Ohio, native shut out Portland in a 7-0 IU victory last Thursday, striking out 12 and setting the stage for IU’s win against New Mexico State the following day to take home third place and close the tournament with a victory. \nFollowing the tournament, Crawford said the Hoosiers believe they have a good chance to compete for a Big Ten Championship this year, and Bashore agreed. \nStaff writer Ryan Gregg contributed to this report.
(03/08/08 2:23am)
INDIANAPOLIS – Any lingering NCAA Tournament hopes likely faded for the IU women’s basketball team March 7 with a second-round loss to rival Purdue in the Big Ten Tournament. What future awaits the Hoosiers now is all speculation. \nAn NCAA berth is almost out of the question, but a WNIT appearance could be on the horizon in Bloomington. \nIU coach Felisha Legette-Jack said after her team’s quarterfinal loss that she hoped her team got a chance to play postseason basketball. \n“I’m not sure what’s at stake,” Legette-Jack said to the media after her team’s loss, “but we’d welcome any opportunity to play in the postseason for this young team to get more experience.” \nThe Hoosiers were likely off the bubble – the wrong way – meaning their lone hope of an NCAA bid would have had to come from a conference tournament title. Junior forward Amber Jackson said she and her teammates entered the tournament with the attitude that they were there to go all the way. \nOn the surface, IU would seem an ideal team for the WNIT, which they played in last year. The Hoosiers are just a win off their 19-14 final mark last year after losing to Purdue, and they have quality wins over No. 14 West Virginia and No. 22 Ohio State. \nHowever, given the overall weakness of the Big Ten, it may not be that easy. \nThirty-one of the 48 spots in the WNIT are given to the best team in each conference that did not make the NCAA Tournament. Of the five teams ahead of IU in the Big Ten standings, only the Buckeyes and Iowa seem locked into the field of 65. \nMinnesota and Michigan State are bubble teams, and Purdue’s 16-14 record suggests they need to win the Big Ten Tournament to make it to the big dance. \nThat leaves just 17 spots open for the Hoosiers once the field is filled, unless all five of those aforementioned teams make the field. \nShana Daniels, assistant media relations director in charge of women’s basketball, said after the game that the Hoosiers will hear from the WNIT after Selection Monday in nine days’ time. The WNIT will make their selections immediately after the NCAA Tournament brackets are announced. \nLegette-Jack refrained from speculating on her team’s postseason possibilities, simply saying she hopes her team can get a chance to play more basketball this year. \n“I hope that we could be considered for the postseason, because this team could value from postseason experience,” she said. \nThe experience she spoke of refers to the youth present on the Hoosiers’ roster this season – IU had six freshmen and eight new players on their squad this season. \nTheir youth isn’t something the Hoosiers have ever used as an excuse, but junior forward Amber Jackson said after the game she and her teammates do recognize that they will need to work hard in the offseason to improve on this year’s record. \n“We’re a good team, we’re gonna get better,” she said. \nJackson, IU leading scorer with 20 points, said no matter what the rest of the Hoosiers’ season holds – if anything – she thinks this loss to Purdue will fuel her team’s fire in the offseason. \n“This definitely puts some fire under us,” Jackson said, “to take everything more serious and know that we never want to feel this way again.”
(03/07/08 5:19am)
IU baseball coach Tracy Smith couldn’t wait to gain the freshman 19 last year. \nNineteen freshmen baseball players, gathered from across the country, made up Smith’s first full recruiting class. \nNow, 13 of those freshmen remain and comprise the core of his IU team. \nTwo of those players redshirted last season and are therefore technically still freshmen. But the 13 current sophomores and redshirt freshmen that came into the program last year as true freshmen are banding together in search of the Hoosiers’ first Big Ten Tournament appearance since 2003. \nSmith said he and his staff made a “conscious decision” last year to play their freshmen more, knowing the team might struggle. \n“We were going to play a lot of those kids last year,” Smith said. “You don’t want to take your lumps, but it was for a reason. It was to get them ready for this year.”\nThat “conscious decision” looks like it’s paying off. \nThrough six games, three of the top four batting averages on the team belong to sophomores. Three members of that class are among the top four in total hits so far this season, with sophomore catcher Josh Phegley leading the team in that category. Phegley also leads the team in runs batted in, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. \nThe sophomores get it done from the rubber, too, having accounted for 22 1/3 of the Hoosiers’ 51 innings pitched and 23 of IU’s 47 strikeouts. Southpaw Matt Bashore has 14 of those strikeouts himself, in only 10 1/3 innings pitched. \nThree sophomores – Bashore, Phegley and shortstop Evan Crawford – earned All-Invitational honors at the Austin Peay Invitational last weekend, where the Hoosiers went 2-1. Phegley batted for the cycle in a 5-for-5 performance in the Hoosiers’ final game, a 17-14 victory over in-state foe Valparaiso. \nBashore said he thinks some of his classmates’ strong early-season stats are because of the extra playing time last year Smith referenced.\n“There were parts of (last) season we were feeling our way through,” Bashore said, “and this year, I think we know what to expect, and we’ve got confidence and we feel like we can make a run this year.”\nLefthander Chris Squires agreed, saying the sophomores arrived on campus this fall with a better “identity,” which he said in turn made preseason preparation much easier. \nAnd that class only got better in the offseason with the addition of two sophomore transfers – Tyler Rogers from Ball State and Michael Earley from Cincinnati. \nIt’s not always going to be roses when a team leans so heavily on youth, something Smith admitted readily. Smith pointed to four errors made in a 5-4 loss to LSU on Feb. 23, a statistic Smith said cost the Hoosiers a chance to take a season-opening series victory over the No. 34 team in the nation. \nHowever, the third-year coach said he sometimes has to remind himself that his sophomores are still just that, regardless of how much experience they have. \n“I’ll be aggravated at some kid for making a mistake, but then I take a step back,” Smith said. “You’re looking at them as these seasoned veterans, but yet they’re still only in their second year of college baseball.”\nPhegley said many members of the sophomore class now find themselves acting more like veterans than they ever did last year, something he realized when new players started looking to him and his classmates for advice. \n“We’re kind of forced into leadership positions,” Phegley said. “Seeing ourselves in them, we’ve come a long way.”